This review comes from me as a person who has not played the game as yet. In this respect, I am solely reviewing the music and not its relation to corresponding missions. You will find that many of the songs have recurring themes and I make note of that throughout this review.
1. Legacy – Has hints of Marty’s classic Halo theme. This is kind of like a transition to Halo 4
2. Stark – An airy song. Reminds me of the recent Malukah Cortana Tribute
3. Who’s There? A mix of digital and drumbeats
4. Bridge Too Far – Starts out soft then brings us familiar sounds in the drumbeats finishing off with strings piano and the drumbeats getting heavier
5. Hunted – Definitely gives off the feeling of it’s namesake. Like the first Predator movie o that setting
6. Ready or Not – Starts off as an a cappella of tenor and soprano voices then with an intro of techno drumbeats
7. Wolverines Return – A heavy metal type of vibe, it works for it’s name sake.
8. Rising – Gentle strings and choir voices give way to horns in the distance. Then add piano. Much like the morning sun rising, hence it’s name. Halfway through it transitions to a heavy drumbeat as if awoken by an alarm. Violins come in to a somewhat hurried pace.
9. Survive – Right away this song makes you feel like there is danger. It is definitely aptly named. Strong horns and violin themes with a heavy drumbeat propel this song forward. About halfway through it makes a sudden transition to a techno sound with violins. The pace gets faster, then with about 30 seconds left, a piano comes in. It’s gentle even with the techno music being hurried.
10. Prelude – Piano and a lone female voice start this song out. Then more voices come in. It’s a very light song similar to #2’s ‘Stark’
11. Breaking the Code – Heavy digital music and ‘beeps’ open this song, with violins in a serious tone. You get the feeling something important is taking place. Perfect for ‘Breaking the Code’
12. The Big Guns – A rhythmic heavy drumbeat is then accompanied by gentle sounds of a choir and piano. All blending quite well together. Then guitars are added in for an even heavier feeling
13. Quiet Giant – Voices and the occasional piano note with a soft far off rare drum beat open this song. The drums start to take more prominence then with a guitar chiming in. Those soften to allow the piano and voices to come back. This is the second longest of the 27 tracks in the album.
14. Guns in the Dark – A heavy drumbeat but somewhat slower than previous songs. There is a recurring theme of specific notes in this one to start. Quickly this gives way to a more complex series of drum beats that then quickly end.
15. Epic Evolution – Another of the airy choice tunes, the addition of a piano then guitar add a gentle touch. A violin is added for even more harmony. Then song start to then transition from airy to drums. With about 20 seconds left the drums stop. Evolution indeed.
16. Eliminate the Resistance – Synth and voices start this song off. Then an annoying singular voice cries out briefly. Midway through the music becomes more militaristic then ending with a calm sound.
17. Night Dreams – The echoing choir and alternating digital piano open this song. Strings come in with a rhythmic guitar double note. A feeling of dreaming while sleeping. The choir then becomes more prominent with drumbeats added in. This adds a subtle complexity to the song.
18. Wolverines Reborn – Very similar in sound to it’s counterpart #7’s Wolverines Return. A guitar screams out with very heavy drumbeats.
19. Regret – The choir once again opens a song. A beautiful blend of male and female voices in varying tones. It’s the shortest of the 27 tracks.
20. Castle Defense – Guitar and choir mesh together with crashing cymbals. This quickly moves to strings crescendoing. Bringing back in the choir. There is a somewhat hurried pace to the music, while the choir itself is not hurried.
21. Simple Mystery – This has an eerie feeling to start. It’s ‘mysterious’. Heavy drumbeats add in then guitar comes in with strong chords.
22. Intimate – Soft piano keys strike, then a synthetic sound emanates from within.
23. Onslaught – This has a ‘jungle-like’ feeling. That’s the best way I can describe this with the very specific drum beats. Female voices add in an airy feeling. Synth chimes in. Different in tone to #5’s Hunted, it feels like it’s from the same area.
24. Elevated – Male voices open this song. Then the rest of the choir comes in. This is NOT the monk chant we are used to from classic Halo, but rather a light blend of male and female voices. Nearly all a capella
25. Knock Knock – This song opens with a foreboding sound as if something is about to break in.
26. Night Guards – A very hurried pace opens this song. This is another of the songs that mixes in strings of paces with the main sound. This adds to the richness of the song which ends all too soon.
27. Finishing the Fight – Lastly, drums and guitar usher in subtle voices and piano. You get the sense this is the end of something. After a minute clear drums and synth add a rolling distinct sound. Choir and violins add in. With one minute left this all gives way to a dramatic drumbeat. Then with 30 seconds left the airy choir and violins come back. Finally ending with a quick snap of a drum beat.
Throughout the whole album there is continuity of drum beats as well as specific notes by the choir. I find that I can’t single out any one particular song, rather enjoying the whole album. Each song is rather short with the range of times from 42 seconds as the shortest to 3:16 as the longest. As such, I feel the album should be taken in as a whole rather than it’s component parts.
So the question is, should YOU get this album if you don’t already have it? That depends. If you’re looking for a break out hit from it, probably not, even though Wolverines Return is the highest rated among the tracks. Taken in as a whole though the complete album is chock full of militaristic tones, airy vibes, strong strings and heavy drumbeats. As a Halo fan, I definitely recommend it. The only complaint I have is that each track is way to short to enjoy them on their own.
I hope you’ve enjoyed the review. If so please leave a reply below.
I’d like to thank my friend ‘PensHalo‘ for getting this album for me.
-Sal
